Western Force captain Jeremy Williams was among the award winners at the 2025 Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) Awards, unveiled at the Annual BDO Rugby Players Lunch at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney on Thursday.
This year’s lunch welcomed over 450 attendees, with various past and present players, RUPA partners, industry leaders and supporters from across the Australian rugby community. Special thanks to RUPA’s value partners, Taylors Wine and Lion Beverages for supporting the event and ensuring the Lunch was a triumph in celebrating the heart of Rugby, its people.
Williams won the Lion Community Service Award, acknowledged for his meaningful community engagement and leadership. Jeremy has shown commitment to Rio’s Legacy, a charity dedicated to supporting children’s hospices and families navigating loss.
His involvement goes far beyond symbolic gestures as he actively uses his platform as a professional rugby player to raise awareness and funds for essential resources.
Williams has been an ambassador for the charity since it started in 2018 and has a close connection to the founder Ryan Fowler who was his teacher at Scots College.
He said: “Visiting Bear Cottage with the Fowler family allowed me to witness first hand the hospice in action, caring for families facing the immense challenge of living with a terminally ill child.
“This fuels my passion for Rio's Legacy, aiming to provide essential care and a second home for these families in need.”
Williams was one of several Force players shortlisted as finalists for several awards at the event.
Nathan Sharpe medal winner Tom Robertson was a finalist for the BDO Men’s Medal for Excellence, while Trilleen Pomare and Anneka Stephens were finalists in the Buildcorp Women’s Medal for Excellence.
Nicole Ledington and Nick Champion de Crespigny were among the finalists for the Robert Walters Academic Achievement Award.
Albert Alcock and Ngamihi Monk were finalists for the Citation Legal Newcomer of the Year.
Dylan Pietsch and Trilleen Pomare were both finalists in the Inaugural Vocational Achievement Award, while Darcy Swain and Anneka Stephens were both among the final five in the Inaugural Leadership Award.
The Lunch also marked the conclusion of RUPA’s inaugural two-day Beyond The Game Camp, held for past players in Sydney this week.
The camp brought together former professional rugby players for personal development sessions and tailored support, before culminating at the Lunch.
The Lunch provided an ideal environment for past players to network with RUPA’s commercial partners, explore new opportunities and reconnect with the broader rugby family.
